“It’s an untapped opportunity.”
Aric scoffed. “Oh, it’s been tapped. And every time I’ve tapped it, it’s tried to bite my fucking head off.”
Harthon’s lips lifted. “Well, you and I are not the same person, are we?”
Aric chuckled again, shaking his head. “No, we are not. But we are both mortal.” His lips pursed, and shrewd eyes dragged to me. “A statement that may or may not apply to this stunning woman with the beautiful eyes.”
I raised my brows, unimpressed.
“Tell me, how is it that themagviswas taken captive by a group of mere men?”
For the first time, I was grateful to have met with Harthon’s cabinet. This was a story I’d already told, under the scrutiny of a Lord who wished me dead, no less. Still, I found myself wishing I’d accepted Aric’s offer for a drink. The prop would have given my nervous hands something to do.
Forcing my fingers to relax on the armrests, I said, “I allowed it to happen.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Aric snorted. “I do not mean this as an insult, but recklessness must run in Fourth Territory.”
That could have been the end of the conversation. Interrogation, over. But Harthon was anything but reckless, ruling his Territory with an unwavering dedication to strategy and method, and it bothered me that Aric might think otherwise.
So my mouth opened again. “It wasn’t recklessness. It was a rationalized decision, as with all decisions made regarding the Territory.”
“Ah,” Aric lifted his chin. “Please, allow me to appreciate your rationale.”
The recited words came easily. “My power is strong, but taxing. I knew I would easily be able to escape if Koerlyn imprisoned me. There was also a man with me, and I feared he would die if I defended myself. So I allowed them to take me, and, as expected, I left Koerlyn when I was ready.”
I didn’t know Aric well enough to read the thoughts in his eyes, but there seemed to be one presiding sentiment.
“How…simple.”
Toosimple, he meant.
I shrugged. “That is one word you may use.”
His responding smile didn’t move his face. “Yes, one of them.”
“Is this how you communicate with all of your allies, or is this doubt reserved for us?” Harthon interjected, seizing control of the conversation.
“You, my friend, are my first ally,” Aric said. “And we both know you don’t give a horse’s ass about propriety.”
“I don’t,” Harthon said over the rim of his cup. “But your disbelief is both inefficient and annoying.”
“Not disbelief. Just…” He searched for the word, landing on a shit-filled, “curiosity.”
To my knowledge, Aric had never invaded other Territories, acting only within his lands, and his reputation was lackluster in terms of theatrics. Yet the man before me oozed danger. It was in the macabre trophies scattered around the room, the brutal scar across his face, the rigidity of his guards, the way his eyes sought more than you were willing to reveal. He owned it, too, his confidence borderline cocky.
Aric was not an idle man. He was too…muchto ever be an Ellan. Rather, his potential existed either in forward progress or remarkable badness.
Harthon had his own opinions, I was sure. He wouldn’t have entered the alliance otherwise. But I wished to form my own.
“It’s only fair that such curiosity goes both ways,” I said.
Opening his arms wide, he invited, “For you, I am an open book.”
I doubted that.
